STEM Day Letter from Senator Mark Warner

Posted on December 16, 2019 by blenon

NOVA STEM Day at the Alexandria Campus a had a special visit from Senator Mark Warner’s Office on Saturday Dec 7th in recognition of our efforts in helping develop and inspire the next generation of STEM workforce. Here’s the letter in full:

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to all who are gathered for NOVA SySTEMic’s NOVA STEM Day on the Alexandria Campus.

It is vital to the future prosperity of our Nation that our young people are equipped with skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Many high-paying in-demand jobs require this type of skill set, and having a workforce trained in these areas will enable the United States to remain competitive with other nations. This event plays an important part in that skill development as it encourages students to become interested in these subject areas through fun, hands-on exhibits and workshops. I commend NOVA SySTEMic for hosting such an important event for families in Northern Virginia.

I send my best wishes for an exciting and informative event.

Sincerely,

Mark R. Warner
United States Senator

Here’s a link to our STEM Day Photo Gallery

NOVA STEM Day Program – Dec 7

Posted on December 5, 2019 by blenon

Click here for our NOVA STEM Day Program at the AL Campus on Sat 12/7

IET Employee Spotlights – Nov 2019

Posted on November 22, 2019 by blenon

The IET employee spotlight this month falls on Margaret Leary, Ph.D., Director of the CAE National Resource Center, and Richard Sewell, our new Fab Lab Manager.

Margaret Leary, Ph.D.
CISSP, CIPP/G, CRISC, CICP, CEH
Program/Campus POC

Dr. Leary has more than 30 years of experience in IT (the most recent 12 in cybersecurity) and is a Senior Security Policy Advisor to government agencies in the Washington, D.C., area. She is the Cybersecurity Program Head for NOVA and teaches a variety of cybersecurity courses at the Alexandria Campus. Dr. Leary is a member of the National Cyberwatch Center Leadership team, where she serves as the Director of Curriculum, advocating for community college cybersecurity programs. She is also a member of Infragard, ISSA-NOVA and the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu.

Dr. Leary can be reached at mleary@nvcc.edu

Richard Sewell
Fab Lab Manager

If Martha Stewart and MacGyver had a baby, that baby would be Richard. Born with DIY DNA, Richard’s childhood hobbies included sewing, knitting, model making, Lego building, and balsa wood constructing. After earning a Master’s degree in Fine Art with experience in traditional and experimental media, Richard began his career teaching full-time at Clemson University before moving to Mississippi State University.

In 2003 Richard left academia and opened The Proper Carpenter, a custom furniture and product design company in Fairfax, VA. After 15 successful years of working with clients such as The White House Historical Association, OMDigital, and National Geographic, Richard closed the shop and moved to Raleigh, NC to become the Creative Director of Kalisher, an agency of more than 100 artists, eccentrics, and engineers who create, commission and manufacture comprehensive art collections for properties worldwide.

Richard is thrilled to be back in VA and back teaching! When he isn’t building robots or model making in the lab, he’s building robots and model making for his 4yo daughter, playing drums, cooking with his wife, and cycling on all the local trails.

Richard can be reached at rsewell@nvcc.edu

Volunteer/Sponsor Opportunities for Signature Event!

Posted on November 21, 2019 by blenon

Night at the Museum (NATM) is a 2-day VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) Signature Event at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. It is a high level event that has been called “the toughest in the nation to win.” There are excellent sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for this event.

60+ high school teams from around the country will compete for top honors and one of three VEX World Championship qualifying spots! Teams qualify for this event by winning the Excellence, Design, or Robot Skills awards or as Tournament Champions in regional competitions. Click here for our NATM20 promo video

Sponsorship Opportunities
Through financial sponsorship, you make it possible for us to support the 500+ VEX teams in Virginia. Your support keeps our event partner and volunteer training free to all, reduces entry fees for signature events like NATM20, stocks 3 competition trailers for use throughout the region, and supports community teams that don’t have a local school or organization to host them. Companies often provide prizes with tournament awards and giveaways for each participant such as flash drives or power packs.

Sponsor levels for NATM20
~~$10K Signature Champion~~ – not available
$5K Competition Advocate
$2.5K Skills Developer
$1K Giveaway Provider

To sponsor please contact Josh Labrie at (703) 530-2829 or jlabrie@nvcc.edu

Volunteering

The biggest volunteer needs for a successful event are Judges, Referees, Volunteers, and Field Resetters. No advance training is necessary (except for Referees). Volunteers receive meals, snacks, t-shirt and wristband. Training is on-site for most positions.

Click here to register to volunteer at NATM20 or contact Jose Algarin at (787) 466-6007 or jalgarin@nvcc.edu

Fab Lab Opening in January!

Posted on November 21, 2019 by blenon

NOVA’s NEW Fab Lab will be opening January 13th, 2020! A Grand Opening Week is being planned with a host of activities for students, staff, and community members!

About The Lab:

The Fab Lab will support NOVA’s A.A.S. in Engineering Technology with a focus on mechatronics and “Smart Factories.” The technology available include mechatronics systems, 3D printers, 3D scanner, vinyl printer/cutters, plastic thermoforming machine, laser engraver, CNC wire bender, computerized sewing machines, full wood shop with CNC router, and various design software.

The Fab Lab Makerspace portion of the lab will be hosting events, workshops, and activities open to K12 students, community members, and college students and staff. This will allow for STEM outreach and a unique venue where groups and individuals can use the technology to design, build, and collaborate.

For more information and to register for Fab Lab programs, contact the Fab Lab Coordinator, Lance Lacey, at llacey@nvcc.edu or via phone at (703) 530-3504. Also, more information is available at https://www.nvcc.edu/systemic/

Click Here for Opening Week Schedule

NOVA STEM Day AL 12-7

Posted on November 18, 2019 by blenon

Hands-on STEM fun for the entire family, from kindergarten to high school and beyond! Don’t miss the NOVA STEM Day at the Alexandria Campus on Saturday, Dec 7 from 10am to 3pm. This event is FREE, open to the public, and includes a variety of physical and hands-on activities for students of all ages.

Attending?
RSVP here

Location:
NOVA Alexandria Campus
5000 Dawes Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22311

We need Volunteers!
We have many volunteer opportunities for NOVA faculty, staff, and students. Volunteers are the backbone to a successful event and will receive lunch vouchers and a NOVA STEM Day T-Shirt.
Click here for Volunteer Sign Up

Want to be an exhibitor?
Contact Liz Coffey ecoffey@nvcc.edu

STEM DAY ACTIVITIES

NOVA Systemic – STEM Zone
Learn about programming and robotics using VEX, Sphero, Osmo platforms and more!

A.I. Powered Bionic Arm
Learn about 3D printed, A.I. integrated prosthetics.

STEM Mayhem – Alka-Seltzer Rockets
Launch a rocket powered by chemical reactions!

NOVA Automotive
Hands-on activities related to automotive technology

NOVA Biology – Lights, Camera, Anatomage
Have you ever wondered what your body looks like on the inside?? If your answer is yes, then come explore the wonders of the human body with us as we dissect a DIGITAL HUMAN CADAVER! Get an up close & personal look at your favorite body systems as they rotate in 3 dimensions. No gloves or tools are necessary to be a surgeon here…just bring your curiosity & questions.

NOVA Chemistry – Chemistry in the World
Hands-on demonstrations of chemistry at work in the world, including examples of acid-base reactions and indicators, magnetism, hydrophobicity, density, and chromatography.

American Society of Naval Engineers – FLEET
Come try the FLEET video game and learn how to use video games to teach STEAM concepts and problem solving.

NOVA Geology
Interactive experiments and games introducing visitors to common geological topics including, a stream table experiment, rock identification exercise, and paleontology exhibits.

Global Inheritance – Leading Ladies
How to find STEM in every job.

Gryphon Robotics
Come see a demonstration of a 120lb robot built for the 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition season.

Nobel Explorers STEM Camp
Learn about solving mazes in the zone, making and printing your own mazes, negotiation and trust games, Scratch 3.0 programming, and AI Chatbot.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision
Learn about solving mazes in the zone, making and printing your own mazes, negotiation and trust games, Scratch 3.0 programming, and AI Chatbot.

NOVA – Virtual Reality & Maker Space
Participants will experience real lifelike environment as they will be taken for a “ride” using Google Earth, enter a human body and take a close look at human organs in working conditions and more.

Mathnasium
Fun with Math!

NOVA 38th in National Cyber Power Rankings!

Posted on October 28, 2019 by blenon

NOVA was recognized as the 38^th top school in the nation during the National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2019 season competition, beating every other college/university in Virginia. 5,026 students from 419 schools competed in the competition. These rankings represent the ability of students from these schools to perform real-world cybersecurity tasks on the Cyber Skyline platform. Students had to identify hackers from forensic data, pentest & audit vulnerable websites, recover from ransomware attacks, and more. Schools are ranked based on their top team performance, their top student’s individual performance, and the aggregate individual performance of their students.

Here are the specific national stats:

NOVA ranked 38^thin the overall competition
NOVA ranked 38^thin the team competition
NOVA ranked 3^rdin the number of participates
NOVA ranked 164^thin the individuals competitions

In the Eastern division of the competition:

NOVA ranked 18^thin the overall competition
NOVA ranked 16^thin the team competition
NOVA ranked 2^ndin the number of participates
NOVA ranked 65^thin the individuals competitions

Out of the Centers of Academic Excellence colleges/universities:

NOVA ranked 20^thin the overall competition
NOVA ranked 21^stin the team competition
NOVA ranked 2^ndin the number of participates
NOVA ranked 52^ndin the individuals competitions

NOVA’s students couldn’t have done it without the stellar aid of AllCyber’s Director of Training, Bishnu Karki, who is the go-to person for NOVA students competing in Cyber Competitions.

Offical link to ranks and statistics cited: https://cyberskyline.com/data/power-ranking/spring-2019-national

STEM Expos a Success!

Posted on October 28, 2019 by blenon

NOVA Systemic’s recent STEM Expos, NOVA STEM Day at the Loudoun Campus and the The STEMZone at the Youth for Tomorrow Country Fair & Auctions brought hands-on STEM to hundreds of young minds through robotics, maker spaces, coding, laser cutting, mechatronics, lab experiments and more. NOVA STEM Days are held annually on the Alexandria, Loudoun, and Manassas Campuses.

NOVA STEM Day – Loudoun Campus

NOVA’s Loudoun Campus hosted its sixth annual NOVA STEM Day Loudoun Campus on September 28, 2019, welcoming over 500 participants. Families throughout the region participated in free, hands-on activities which included a variety of robotics, coding and gaming activities and lab experiments.

The event was sponsored by the Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation, NOVA SySTEMic, Micron, and Loudoun County Public Schools. Other participants were Academies of Loudoun, Sylvan Learning Center, and Children’s Science Center.

The next NOVA STEM Day will be held on the NOVA Alexandria Campus on Saturday Dec 7th. You can register for this event here.

Additional details about STEM Day and other Expos can be found at https://www.nvcc.edu/systemic/

The STEMZone at Youth For Tomorrow’s Country Fair & Auctions

The weather was perfect and the STEM activities fully explored at our 4th annual STEMZone at the Youth for Tomorrow Country Fair & Auctions on October 5. Students and parents engaged in exciting hands-on activities such as maker spaces, robotics, 3D printers, laser cutters, Osmo, Sphero, Cubelets, Stomp Rockets and more.

As always, participants filled out a STEM Passport when completing designated tasks to be eligible for the grand prize drawing – this year it was an Ollie robot plus full ramp.

The Youth For Tomorrow Country Fair & Auctions brings in about 20,000 people every October, and since many of that number participate in the STEM Zone it is an excellent opportunity to engage students and parents in STEM and bring awareness of NOVA STEM programs.

The Next STEMZone at the YFT Country Fair & Auctions will in early October 2020. For more info visit https://www.nvcc.edu/systemic/

NOVA SySTEMic is the college wide STEM outreach program designed to create interest STEM from early elementary school and extending through high school, with the hope of inspiring more students to enter the STEM workforce pipeline.

NOVA SySTEMic

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